Thursday, August 11, 2016

Book Review – Aghora Trilogy

You've heard of the idiom 'packs a punch'. This one does exactly that  it packs a real punch. It's a trilogy written by Robert Svabodha, a disciple of the Aghori Vimalananda. This trilogy will shake you up no matter who you are as the science and technology of Aghora is not for the namby-pamby. It's extreme, it's intense, it's sincere  and of course a lot of room for distortion and misrepresentation, which is happening in most of the places in the name of tantra and others.

Swami Vimalananda, so goes the name of an accomplished Aghori who happens to be a normal businessman from the outside but a practicing Aghori from the inside. The author has chosen not to name the real name of Vimalanada for various reasons. This trilogy – At the left hand of God, Kundalini and the law of Karma – is a collection of various aphorisms, stories, and real-life events happened with Aghori Vimalananda. As with any sincere spiritual discipline, Aghora is a subjective science and to be learnt from a guru and cannot be learnt from a book or something. Caution has to be exercised by the readers as the subject matters discussed have a lot of gravity.

At the left hand of god

The first book introduces you to the fundamental aspects of Aghora – Shiva, Shakti, tantra, yantra, mantra and explain the concepts lucidly, faithful to the original Sanskrit words and ideas. I was impressed when I read it for the first time that a westerner had the almost seemingly thorough understanding of some of the ancient terminologies, which is otherwise very alien to a western mind.

Usually, meat, sex, and alcohol are proscribed in most of the spiritual paths considering them as the reasons for the downfall of men. But Aghora uses the same thing as stepping stones for reaching the spiritual pinnacle. This is where the catch is – very few, say one or two out of a hundred will be successful, the rest will end up as addicts or maniacs. It’s like walking on a sword, not for all. The book gives enough warnings on the fake tantriks, gurus and wrong methods and the hazards all these pose.


For me the chapter on Rnanubandhana captivated the most. The effect of Rna, or in simple words debt is explained in a detailed way. Once you enter the realm of Rna, you also enter the realm of Karmas of different kinds, fate, destiny etc. It’s a fascinating set of topics.

Kundalini

As I mentioned in one of my previous blogposts, anyone who has even primary knowhow on Indian spirituality would have a preliminary understanding of Kundalini. Kundalini is dormant energy present in everyone. It is dormant because unless it is evoked by continuous and conscious practice, it would be inaccessible. For a large part of the population, it would be useless because a very few people make a conscious effort of making use of it. It is often compared to sleeping serpent, as meddling with it without required knowledge could be lethal. The nadis and the main chakras and the raising of the Kundalini are explained with details. This book has enough warnings for the uninitiated who may try to test with Kundalini Shakthi.


It starts with the brief introduction to other esoteric schools similar to Aghora — Goddess Sekhmet in Egypt, the goddess Hera in Greece, the Goddess Kapo in Hawaii are similar to that of Goddess Kali in India. This part dwells deeper into various kinds of yantras, design & construction of Homa Kundas (fire pits) and their functionalities.

In terms of information, this book has more than the first installment. It is an excellent, exhaustive and captivating read.

The law of Karma

If you are a fan of horse racing, you would instantaneously fall in love with this installment wherein you can find a great deal of description on anything and everything related to it — from the different breeds of horses to jockeys, the training, betting etc. Vimalananda had a great passion for horse racing as it was briefly introduced in the previous parts.


This part beautifully explores the law of Karma and its effects on us, our inescapability from it, Rnanubandanas et al. Vimalananda explores all these by allegories, theories and live examples. I particularly liked the way in which the law of Karma is covered in all the details. It makes a fascinating read.

Conclusion

This book bursts many myths successfully. It touches the subjects which are considered ‘taboo’ and I won’t be surprised if some people are repulsed by it. It is easily one of the sensational books I have ever read. This has the necessary depth and dimension to be taken as a serious work. I admire the way subject matter – whatever it may be – is treated: raw, unabashed, without any inhibitions.

I know of the rhetoric of the greatness of Indian culture, its spiritual traditions et al. These kinds of works convince me that ‘rhetoric’ is actually true and echoes what Sadhguru once said about India: no other culture has looked into life in such depth as Indian culture has had.

No matter if you are a serious seeker or ‘just curious’, you will find this series interesting. This book is no ‘one-time read’. It’s good to be referenced for a long time.